A few weeks back, the air conditioning in my 12-year-old Kia Soul started acting up. Sometimes it worked great. Other times, the blower wouldn’t turn on at all. There was no discernible pattern—it would work right away or not at all, or suddenly turn on while I was driving. (Unsurprisingly, this started happening right around the time New York City began getting hit with heat advisories.)

Last week, I thought I was finally cooked (figuratively, but also literally): The AC worked on Tuesday, then it never worked again. After four sweltering days and a few long sweaty holiday weekend drives, I took it to a mechanic, who checked various fuses and relays and determined I needed a new blower motor, which would cost more than $1,000, most of that for labor. (Apparently a Kia Soul is built weird and is hard to repair.)

So I went home and did what I should have done in the first place: I began frantically researching the problem to see if others were in the same boat. And it turned out a ton of folks have a problem with intermittent AC functionality—not just with the Kia Soul, but with different makes and models. And the same advice kept popping up again and again: Try giving the front center console a real good kick.

You’d think we’ve moved beyond the era where devices were simple enough that hitting them would make them start working, but I had nothing to lose except the cost of a $1,000 repair, so I tried it. (Well, technically I thumped it hard with my fist; I was stopped at a red light and couldn’t get good leverage for a kick.) Instantly, the blower motor switched on and a blast of cold air filled the car.

The lesson here is twofold: 1) when in doubt, consult the internet for advice before shelling out big bucks for a repair, and 2) sometimes a kick, smack, or thump really will fix the problem.

Turn to the collected wisdom of the internet

I’m not suggesting the mechanic who told me I needed a new blower motor was trying to rip me off. Assuming he actually checked all the electrical issues he claimed to have checked, “motor bad” seems a logical conclusion. But being the kind of person who drives a 12-year-old car (a cheapskate), I wanted to more thoroughly exhaust my options before spending a bunch of money on someone’s best guess. Because even accounting for experience and expertise, some mechanics, when faced with a problem that might take hours to properly diagnose, will just rely on intuition. And sure, maybe their fix will work—but that doesn’t mean it was the cheapest option, or even necessary.

In this case, my research turned up many other Kia owners who’d experienced similar AC issues: The air would blow cold, but only sometimes. Our symptoms didn’t match up with descriptions of a failing blower motor, which usually involve weird noises, smells, and gradually weakening airflow. And lots of these hot and sweaty folks noted that giving their car a really good smack would solve the problem. It turned out the collective wisdom of a bunch of frustrated folks turned out to be more useful than the opinion of a single mechanic who didn’t have all day to research my issue and find the solution that would make him the least amount of money.

Typically in these situations, I’m looking for advice from a mix of experts and laypeople, and the internet is full of both. Here are some good tactics to try to find what you’re looking for:

• Google your problem + Reddit, which will guide you to any established communities where people are discussing the kinds of problems you’re facing.

• Look for forums aimed specifically at owners of whatever it is that’s giving you a headache. In my case, that was Kia Soul Forums.

• Google your problem +YouTube for (possibly) helpful repair videos—though finding one that will actually be helpful can be a challenge.

Like turning to WebMD every time your stomach hurts can convince you you’re dying when you just ate a bad taco, the repair suggestions you get on the internet won’t always be the right ones—but if they’re simple enough to try yourself (hitting something; replacing a cheap part), you might as well. At worst, you can take your research to a certified repair person to help them more capably diagnose the issue.

Also: Unless your repair need is dire, a second opinion, or at least a brief cooling-off period—no pun intended—is never a bad idea. (For what it’s worth, a second mechanic quoted me $300 for the same repair, but I’m glad to have avoided spending even that much for now.)

Why hitting it made my car’s AC work

So why did a thump to the center console fix my AC? I don’t know—and no one on the internet really knows either. Those who suggested it were either working off the advice of others (one said a Kia technician at his dealership told him to try it) or are apparently just well-versed in the tried-and-true method of hitting your tech until it starts working.

Possible causes posited included a loose wire, a melted or otherwise faulty connection, a grounding issue, and, yes, a failing blower motor, all of which can be temporarily remedied with a little percussion. Short of a more in-depth diagnostic, though, it’s hard to say. Many of these forum threads do provide suggestions for how to look deeper into the issue. Maybe I’ll do that someday—when just hitting it stops working.

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today welcomed 32 faculty and staff from Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Hispanic-Serving School Districts around the nation to the 2024 class of E. Kika De La Garza (EKDLG) Fellows.

If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for July 8, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is medium difficult; I got it in four. Beware, there are spoilers below for July 8, Wordle #1,115! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game.

How to play Wordle

Wordle lives here on the New York Times website. A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight, your local time.

Start by guessing a five-letter word. The letters of the word will turn green if they’re correct, yellow if you have the right letter in the wrong place, or gray if the letter isn’t in the day’s secret word at all. For more, check out our guide to playing Wordle here, and my strategy guide here for more advanced tips. (We also have more information at the bottom of this post, after the hints and answers.)

Ready for the hints? Let’s go!

Does today’s Wordle have any unusual letters?

We’ll define common letters as those that appear in the old typesetters’ phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it “Edwin Shirdloo,” like a name, and pretend he’s a friend of yours.)

Four of today’s letters are from our mnemonic. The other is fairly common.

Can you give me a hint for today’s Wordle?

To form, mold, or create.

Does today’s Wordle have any double or repeated letters?

There are no repeated letters today. 

How many vowels are in today’s Wordle?

There are two vowels.

What letter does today’s Wordle start with?

Today’s word starts with S. 

What letter does today’s Wordle end with?

Today’s word ends with E. 

What is the solution to today’s Wordle?

Ready? Today’s word is SHAPE.

How I solved today’s Wordle

I started with RAISE then guessed DITCH assuming I likely wasn’t looking for any additional vowels and instead wanted to eliminate common consonants. I then guessed CLAMP, which knocked out other possible consonants and narrowed down vowel location. SHAPE was the only remaining solution.

Wordle 1,115 4/6

⬛🟨⬛🟨🟩
⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨
⬛⬛🟩⬛🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle was medium difficult. The hint was “artillery on a pirate ship” and the answer contained four common letters and one fairly common letters.

The answer to yesterday’s Wordle was CANON.

A primer on Wordle basics

The idea of Wordle is to guess the day’s secret word. When you first open the Wordle game, you’ll see an empty grid of letters. It’s up to you to make the first move: type in any five-letter word. 

Now, you can use the colors that are revealed to get clues about the word: Green means you correctly guessed a letter, and it’s in the correct position. (For example, if you guess PARTY, and the word is actually PURSE, the P and R will be green.)

• Yellow means the letter is somewhere in the word, but not in the position you guessed it. (For example, if you guessed PARTY, but the word is actually ROAST, the R, A and T will all be yellow.)

• Gray means the letter is not in the solution word at all. (If you guessed PARTY and everything is gray, then the solution cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)

With all that in mind, guess another word, and then another, trying to land on the correct word before you run out of chances. You get six guesses, and then it’s game over.

The best starter words for Wordle

What should you play for that first guess? The best starters tend to contain common letters, to increase the chances of getting yellow and green squares to guide your guessing. (And if you get all grays when guessing common letters, that’s still excellent information to help you rule out possibilities.) There isn’t a single “best” starting word, but the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot has suggested starting with one of these:

• CRANE

• TRACE

• SLANT

• CRATE

• CARTE

Meanwhile, an MIT analysis found that you’ll eliminate the most possibilities in the first round by starting with one of these:

• SALET

• REAST

• TRACE

• CRATE

• SLATE

Other good picks might be ARISE or ROUND. Words like ADIEU and AUDIO get more vowels in play, but you could argue that it’s better to start with an emphasis on consonants, using a starter like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose your strategy, and see how it plays out.

How to win at Wordle

We have a few guides to Wordle strategy, which you might like to read over if you’re a serious student of the game. This one covers how to use consonants to your advantage, while this one focuses on a strategy that uses the most common letters. In this advanced guide, we detail a three-pronged approach for fishing for hints while maximizing your chances of winning quickly.

The biggest thing that separates Wordle winners from Wordle losers is that winners use their guesses to gather information about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word must end in -OUND, don’t waste four guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; combine those consonants and guess MARSH. If the H lights up in yellow, you know the solution.

One more note on strategy: the original Wordle used a list of about 2,300 solution words, but after the game was bought by the NYT, the game now has an editor who hand-picks the solutions. Sometimes they are slightly tricky words that wouldn’t have made the original list, and sometimes they are topical. For example, FEAST was the solution one Thanksgiving. So keep in mind that there may be a theme.

Wordle alternatives

If you can’t get enough of five-letter guessing games and their kin, the best Wordle alternatives, ranked by difficulty, include:

• Wheeldle, which lets you play one puzzle after another

• Dordle and Quordle, which ask you to play two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles at the same time, with the same guesses. There is also Octordle, with eight puzzles, and Sedecordle, with 16.

• Waffle, which shows you several five-letter words, scrambled in a grid; you play by swapping the letters around until you solve.

• Absurdle, which changes the solution after each guess, but needs to stay consistent with its previous feedback. You have to strategically back it into a corner until there is only one possible word left; then you guess it, and win.

• Squabble, in which you play Wordle against other people with a timer running. You take damage if you spend too much time between guesses; winner is the last one standing.

• Antiwordle, in which you are trying not to guess the day’s solution. You’re required to reuse any letters that you (oops) guessed correctly, so the longer it takes you, the better you are at the game.

If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for July 7, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is medium difficult; I got it in four. Beware, there are spoilers below for July 7, Wordle #1,114! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game.

How to play Wordle

Wordle lives here on the New York Times website. A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight, your local time.

Start by guessing a five-letter word. The letters of the word will turn green if they’re correct, yellow if you have the right letter in the wrong place, or gray if the letter isn’t in the day’s secret word at all. For more, check out our guide to playing Wordle here, and my strategy guide here for more advanced tips. (We also have more information at the bottom of this post, after the hints and answers.)

Ready for the hints? Let’s go!

Does today’s Wordle have any unusual letters?

We’ll define common letters as those that appear in the old typesetters’ phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it “Edwin Shirdloo,” like a name, and pretend he’s a friend of yours.)

Four of today’s letters are from our mnemonic. The other is fairly common.

Can you give me a hint for today’s Wordle?

Artillery on a pirate ship.

Does today’s Wordle have any double or repeated letters?

There is one repeated letter today. 

How many vowels are in today’s Wordle?

There are two vowels.

What letter does today’s Wordle start with?

Today’s word starts with C. 

What letter does today’s Wordle end with?

Today’s word ends with N. 

What is the solution to today’s Wordle?

Ready? Today’s word is CANON.

How I solved today’s Wordle

I started with RAISE and TOUCH, which left a handful of possible answers—BACON and CANON being the most common words among them. I guessed the former because it had more unique letters, which left the latter as the best solution.

Wordle 1,114 4/6

⬛🟩⬛⬛⬛
⬛🟨⬛🟨⬛
⬛🟩🟨🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle was medium difficult. The hint was “to show contempt or mock” and the answer contained two common letters and three fairly common letters.

The answer to yesterday’s Wordle was SCOFF.

A primer on Wordle basics

The idea of Wordle is to guess the day’s secret word. When you first open the Wordle game, you’ll see an empty grid of letters. It’s up to you to make the first move: type in any five-letter word. 

Now, you can use the colors that are revealed to get clues about the word: Green means you correctly guessed a letter, and it’s in the correct position. (For example, if you guess PARTY, and the word is actually PURSE, the P and R will be green.)

• Yellow means the letter is somewhere in the word, but not in the position you guessed it. (For example, if you guessed PARTY, but the word is actually ROAST, the R, A and T will all be yellow.)

• Gray means the letter is not in the solution word at all. (If you guessed PARTY and everything is gray, then the solution cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)

With all that in mind, guess another word, and then another, trying to land on the correct word before you run out of chances. You get six guesses, and then it’s game over.

The best starter words for Wordle

What should you play for that first guess? The best starters tend to contain common letters, to increase the chances of getting yellow and green squares to guide your guessing. (And if you get all grays when guessing common letters, that’s still excellent information to help you rule out possibilities.) There isn’t a single “best” starting word, but the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot has suggested starting with one of these:

• CRANE

• TRACE

• SLANT

• CRATE

• CARTE

Meanwhile, an MIT analysis found that you’ll eliminate the most possibilities in the first round by starting with one of these:

• SALET

• REAST

• TRACE

• CRATE

• SLATE

Other good picks might be ARISE or ROUND. Words like ADIEU and AUDIO get more vowels in play, but you could argue that it’s better to start with an emphasis on consonants, using a starter like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose your strategy, and see how it plays out.

How to win at Wordle

We have a few guides to Wordle strategy, which you might like to read over if you’re a serious student of the game. This one covers how to use consonants to your advantage, while this one focuses on a strategy that uses the most common letters. In this advanced guide, we detail a three-pronged approach for fishing for hints while maximizing your chances of winning quickly.

The biggest thing that separates Wordle winners from Wordle losers is that winners use their guesses to gather information about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word must end in -OUND, don’t waste four guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; combine those consonants and guess MARSH. If the H lights up in yellow, you know the solution.

One more note on strategy: the original Wordle used a list of about 2,300 solution words, but after the game was bought by the NYT, the game now has an editor who hand-picks the solutions. Sometimes they are slightly tricky words that wouldn’t have made the original list, and sometimes they are topical. For example, FEAST was the solution one Thanksgiving. So keep in mind that there may be a theme.

Wordle alternatives

If you can’t get enough of five-letter guessing games and their kin, the best Wordle alternatives, ranked by difficulty, include:

• Wheeldle, which lets you play one puzzle after another

• Dordle and Quordle, which ask you to play two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles at the same time, with the same guesses. There is also Octordle, with eight puzzles, and Sedecordle, with 16.

• Waffle, which shows you several five-letter words, scrambled in a grid; you play by swapping the letters around until you solve.

• Absurdle, which changes the solution after each guess, but needs to stay consistent with its previous feedback. You have to strategically back it into a corner until there is only one possible word left; then you guess it, and win.

• Squabble, in which you play Wordle against other people with a timer running. You take damage if you spend too much time between guesses; winner is the last one standing.

• Antiwordle, in which you are trying not to guess the day’s solution. You’re required to reuse any letters that you (oops) guessed correctly, so the longer it takes you, the better you are at the game.

If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for July 6, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is medium difficult; I got it in four. Beware, there are spoilers below for July 6, Wordle #1,113! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game.

How to play Wordle

Wordle lives here on the New York Times website. A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight, your local time.

Start by guessing a five-letter word. The letters of the word will turn green if they’re correct, yellow if you have the right letter in the wrong place, or gray if the letter isn’t in the day’s secret word at all. For more, check out our guide to playing Wordle here, and my strategy guide here for more advanced tips. (We also have more information at the bottom of this post, after the hints and answers.)

Ready for the hints? Let’s go!

Does today’s Wordle have any unusual letters?

We’ll define common letters as those that appear in the old typesetters’ phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it “Edwin Shirdloo,” like a name, and pretend he’s a friend of yours.)

Only two of today’s letters are from our mnemonic. The other three are fairly common.

Can you give me a hint for today’s Wordle?

To show contempt or mock.

Does today’s Wordle have any double or repeated letters?

There is one repeated letter today. 

How many vowels are in today’s Wordle?

There is one vowel.

What letter does today’s Wordle start with?

Today’s word starts with S. 

What letter does today’s Wordle end with?

Today’s word ends with F. 

What is the solution to today’s Wordle?

Ready? Today’s word is SCOFF.

How I solved today’s Wordle

I started with RAISE and TOUCH, then guessed FLUMP using four consonants that showed up in possible solutions. This left SCOFF as the best (and only) answer.

Wordle 1,113 4/6

⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛
⬛🟨⬛🟨⬛
🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle was easier. The hint was “as a noun, something you have as a teenager; as a verb, to squeeze or press” and the answer contained four common letters and one fairly common letter.

The answer to yesterday’s Wordle was CRUSH.

A primer on Wordle basics

The idea of Wordle is to guess the day’s secret word. When you first open the Wordle game, you’ll see an empty grid of letters. It’s up to you to make the first move: type in any five-letter word. 

Now, you can use the colors that are revealed to get clues about the word: Green means you correctly guessed a letter, and it’s in the correct position. (For example, if you guess PARTY, and the word is actually PURSE, the P and R will be green.)

• Yellow means the letter is somewhere in the word, but not in the position you guessed it. (For example, if you guessed PARTY, but the word is actually ROAST, the R, A and T will all be yellow.)

• Gray means the letter is not in the solution word at all. (If you guessed PARTY and everything is gray, then the solution cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)

With all that in mind, guess another word, and then another, trying to land on the correct word before you run out of chances. You get six guesses, and then it’s game over.

The best starter words for Wordle

What should you play for that first guess? The best starters tend to contain common letters, to increase the chances of getting yellow and green squares to guide your guessing. (And if you get all grays when guessing common letters, that’s still excellent information to help you rule out possibilities.) There isn’t a single “best” starting word, but the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot has suggested starting with one of these:

• CRANE

• TRACE

• SLANT

• CRATE

• CARTE

Meanwhile, an MIT analysis found that you’ll eliminate the most possibilities in the first round by starting with one of these:

• SALET

• REAST

• TRACE

• CRATE

• SLATE

Other good picks might be ARISE or ROUND. Words like ADIEU and AUDIO get more vowels in play, but you could argue that it’s better to start with an emphasis on consonants, using a starter like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose your strategy, and see how it plays out.

How to win at Wordle

We have a few guides to Wordle strategy, which you might like to read over if you’re a serious student of the game. This one covers how to use consonants to your advantage, while this one focuses on a strategy that uses the most common letters. In this advanced guide, we detail a three-pronged approach for fishing for hints while maximizing your chances of winning quickly.

The biggest thing that separates Wordle winners from Wordle losers is that winners use their guesses to gather information about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word must end in -OUND, don’t waste four guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; combine those consonants and guess MARSH. If the H lights up in yellow, you know the solution.

One more note on strategy: the original Wordle used a list of about 2,300 solution words, but after the game was bought by the NYT, the game now has an editor who hand-picks the solutions. Sometimes they are slightly tricky words that wouldn’t have made the original list, and sometimes they are topical. For example, FEAST was the solution one Thanksgiving. So keep in mind that there may be a theme.

Wordle alternatives

If you can’t get enough of five-letter guessing games and their kin, the best Wordle alternatives, ranked by difficulty, include:

• Wheeldle, which lets you play one puzzle after another

• Dordle and Quordle, which ask you to play two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles at the same time, with the same guesses. There is also Octordle, with eight puzzles, and Sedecordle, with 16.

• Waffle, which shows you several five-letter words, scrambled in a grid; you play by swapping the letters around until you solve.

• Absurdle, which changes the solution after each guess, but needs to stay consistent with its previous feedback. You have to strategically back it into a corner until there is only one possible word left; then you guess it, and win.

• Squabble, in which you play Wordle against other people with a timer running. You take damage if you spend too much time between guesses; winner is the last one standing.

• Antiwordle, in which you are trying not to guess the day’s solution. You’re required to reuse any letters that you (oops) guessed correctly, so the longer it takes you, the better you are at the game.

Samsung Unpacked 2024 is nearly here. On Wednesday, July 10, Samsung will unveil the next generation of some Galaxy devices, including the successors to the Galaxy Watch 6, a new smart ring, as well as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Z Flip 6. You don’t need to wait until Unpacked to check out the new foldables, however: They’ve basically totally leaked.

As reported by The Verge, leaker Evan Blass shared Samsung’s promotional materials and spec sheets for both the Z Flip 6 and the Z Fold 6. If these documents are legit (and they appear to be), we’re getting our first look at Samsung’s new foldables half a week early.

Spoiler alert: Samsung hasn’t made any monumental changes to either the Z Fold or the Z Flip here. These are very much subtle updates. But there are some interesting features to note.

Galaxy Z Flip 6

Samsung’s latest flip phone looks to be similar to the Z Flip 5, albeit slightly lighter and thinner. The leaked marketing materials show off some interesting new features, like an addition to Interpreter Mode that displays the translated text on the front display; a new 50MP camera, up from 12MP from the Z Flip 5; and a vapor chamber for cooling.

Here’s what the phone looks like on paper, according to the alleged leaks:

• Display: 6.7-inch 2640 x 1080 OLED with a refresh rate of 120Hz (main), 3.4-inch 720 x 748 IPS (front)

• Cameras: 12MP ultra-wide, 50MP wide, 10MP front

• Battery: 4,000 mAh, up to 23 hours of video playback

• SoC: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 12GB RAM

• Storage: 256GB

Galaxy Z Fold 6

At first glance, Samsung isn’t adding as many new features to the Z Fold 6 as it is with the Z Flip 6, according to The Verge. The Z Fold 6 doesn’t get the additional Interpreter Mode, or the vapor chamber for cooling.

However, there are some interesting changes over last year’s Z Fold 5: The display will allegedly reach 2,600 nits of brightness, compared to the Z Fold 5’s maximum of 1,750 nits. Like the Z Flip 6, the Z Fold 6 will also get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which Samsung says has an NPU increase of 42% (the part of the chip that processes AI). Samsung is also touting new AI features, such as a new AI zoom, that should theoretically result in clearer closeups.

In addition, the Z Fold 6 is also thinner and lighter than past models, and has a new aluminum frame. All that said, there aren’t any radical changes here: If you have a Z Fold 5 (or perhaps an older Z Fold device) you might not feel a huge push to upgrade.

• Displays: 7.6-inch 2160 x 1856 OLED with a refresh rate of 120Hz (main), 6.3-inch OLED (front)

• Cameras: 12MP ultra-wide (F2.2), 50MP (F1.8), 10MP (F2.4)

• Battery: 4,400 mAh, up to 23 hours of video playback

• SoC: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 12GB RAM

• Storage: 512GB